Many workers who have worked in excess of forty hours in a seven day consecutive period are eligible for overtime.
Minneapolis, MN – There are various laws at the state and federal level to ensure that workers are paid correctly. Many of these laws are related to overtime, minimum pay rates, record keeping, and seeing that each employee is actually compensated for all time that they have worked. Any kind of missing wages, illegal deductions, or unfair pay practices are technically considered wage theft, and the employer may face lawsuits or other consequences. Workers in Minnesota who have not been paid properly can retain an attorney to investigate the matter and take formal action if necessary.
Minimum wage laws
The minimum wage is the hourly amount that each worker must be paid at minimum. Employers can choose to pay a worker more, and states can adopt their own minimum wage laws that exceed the federal amount, but states cannot pass a law to pay less than the federal minimum wage. Minnesota has a state minimum wage that has increased for inflation, which means workers have to be paid at least this amount.
Overtime laws
Many workers who have worked in excess of forty hours in a seven day consecutive period are eligible for overtime. The overtime rate is at least one and one half times the worker’s standard pay rate. There are exemptions that apply to certain salaried workers, independent contractors, and some other employees who are not paid hourly. However, it is common for some employers to improperly categorize their employees to avoid paying overtime. This means that each worker should check their status and try to determine if they are legitimately exempt from overtime pay laws.
Record keeping
Another important way to protect workers is to make sure that employers are correctly logging all time worked by their employees. These records need to contain things such as the person’s name, position in the company, pay rate, and total hours working including overtime. While the specific format of the records can vary, the documents need to be available for inspection by a labor agency or the worker to check for accuracy and discrepancies.
Pay deductions
Employers need to take deductions out of a worker’s pay for things like taxes and social security. However, there are limitations on what a worker can lose through their payroll, and the employer is not allowed to force the worker to pay for certain things on their own by subtracting them from the paycheck.
Help from an employment lawyer in Minnesota
USAttorneys.com is a site that helps people find lawyers in their city. Workers who need to speak with a labor attorney in Minneapolis can use the directory to find a local lawyer who handles issues such as unpaid wages, sexual harassment, and employment discrimination.
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